A U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran, according to three U.S. sources who confirmed Iranian state media reports. The attack marks the first known loss of a jet within the Islamic Republic since the launch of “Operation Epic Fury,” the joint U.S.-Israel military operation against Tehran.
A search-and-rescue operation by U.S. Special Forces has commenced for the crew of the fighter jet, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke with both CNN and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
WSJ shared that two state-run media outlets initially reported the aircraft’s attack.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that an American warplane was struck in central Iran by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defenses.
Iran’s Fars News Agency also publicly shared photographs that showed the downed fighter jet’s wreckage. The news agency also announced a reward offer for anyone who captured an “enemy pilot or pilots” and turned them in alive.
IRIB revealed that residents of the country’s southwest region had gone to the wreckage site in their own vehicles to capture any crew members, with the IRGC reportedly telling civilians not to harm the crew.
According to CNN, another state-run media outlet, The Tasnim Agency, shared that searches have “so far been unsuccessful.”
Prior to the U.S. Fighter Jet's Takedown
Previously, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) went on social media to “fact-check” the claims from the IRGC that it downed an “enemy” fighter aircraft over the Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
“All U.S. fighter aircraft are accounted for. Iran's IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.
American and Israeli air forces have carried out over 20,000 airstrikes without having a single aircraft struck down, despite several instances of near misses.
At the beginning of the conflict, three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwait air defenses, with all six crewmembers safely ejecting from the aircrafts.
